Cleanliness conditions in the rural areas of Islamabad have deteriorated sharply as the Capital Development Authority continues to struggle with an ineffective sanitation system. Large piles of garbage can be seen along roads streets and open spaces creating serious environmental and public health concerns for residents.
In the absence of a structured waste collection mechanism people in rural localities are forced to dump garbage in open plots and nullahs. The CDA only carries out occasional secondary collection in some areas which has proven insufficient. Since the expiry of separate rural and urban sanitation contracts last year waste management in rural Islamabad has remained largely neglected.
While urban sectors receive limited sanitation services through CDA staff temporary workers and machinery rural areas have been left without regular coverage. The civic agency attempted several times this year to outsource sanitation services for both urban and rural zones but tenders were repeatedly cancelled causing further delays.
Officials of the sanitation directorate said Islamabad generates around one thousand tonnes of waste daily from both rural and urban areas. Under the latest tender process CDA has invited bids based on per tonne collection and disposal rates. Technical evaluation of bids submitted by multiple national and international joint ventures is currently under way.
The CDA currently transports garbage through a temporary arrangement with the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company moving waste to the Losar dumping site. Waste is collected at the I Nine transfer station before being transported to Rawalpindi. Meanwhile the authority plans to develop its own integrated landfill site at Losar with recycling and material recovery facilities after completion of land acquisition.
CDA spokesperson Shahid Kiani said financial bids will be opened soon and contracts awarded shortly. He assured that once new contracts are finalised there will be no distinction between urban and rural areas. Door to door primary and secondary waste collection will be implemented across Islamabad. He added that land acquisition for a permanent landfill site is in progress marking a significant step toward resolving the capital’s long standing waste management crisis.
